§ MR. HEALYasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether his attention has been called to the death, through hardship, of an evicted tenant named John Bourke at Loughrea; if it is the fact that on the 8th July Mr. Jennings, Poor Law Guardian, waited on the relieving officer, ordered him to visit Bourke, and give him the necessary relief; whether the relieving officer did not attend to the case until July 16th leaving Bourke eight days on the roadside in the rain without food; whether, on the 14th July, Mr. Jennings sent the relieving officer a "red ticket;" but, nevertheless, the Union medical officer did not visit Bourke until the 16th July; whether the doctor only called three times within four weeks; whether the relieving officer only made one visit and never came near the man until after his death on the 5th August; whether, on the 3rd August the Loughrea Board of Guardians voted £2 to make Bourke's but habitable; whether the relieving officer never carried out the Board's orders; whether the Board also sent a nurse to attend Bourke, and on that evening the doctor ordered her to call at his house next day for the purpose of taking medicine to the dying man; whether, on complying, she could not find the doctor; whether his assistant ordered her to get linseed meal from the relieving officer for Bourke's wants; whether the officer refused to supply meal, meat, Or any nourishment for him; whether he will ascertain if the opinion prevails in the locality that Bourke's death was accelerated by the neglect of the local officials; and, what steps he intends to take in the matter?
§ MR. TREVELYANSir, the allegations with regard to the conduct of the doctor and the relieving officer in this case are of so serious a character that the Local Government Board have felt it necessary to order an inquiry on oath to be held by their Inspector. Pending the result of that inquiry, I cannot answer these Questions. I may say at once, however, that John Bourke was not an evicted tenant, but a stone-cutter, 710 who was unable to work owing to an accident to his wrist,